


No More Let Life Divide, What Death Can Bring Together

by AsagiStilinski



Series: Y-G-October 2018 [21]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: A.I. Atem, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Artificial Intelligence, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst, Artificial Intelligence, Ballet, Character Death, Dark, Dark fic, Heavy Angst, Kaiba Seto Has Issues, Loneliness, M/M, Obsession, Resurrection, Science Fiction, ballet dancer Atem, frankenstein's monster ish, lonely Kaiba Seto, obsessive Kaiba Seto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 18:24:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16372700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: "Would you ... want a real body, made of flesh and blood?"The look on the hologram's face is ... outstandingly mixed, for something that isn't human, for somethingartificialIt's hopefull, and excited, and shocked, and anxious, and fearfull, and...sad"Would you... prefer me that way, Seto?"Day 21 of Y-G-October 2018





	No More Let Life Divide, What Death Can Bring Together

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Finaiarel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finaiarel/gifts).



> Day 21 of http://horrificmemes.tumblr.com/post/177941943723/its-that-tiiiime-just-like-last-fall-im-giving "Inhuman"
> 
> It's a little bit dark so be warned, **if the "charector death" tag worries you, skip to the end notes for an explanation before reading**

He is beautifull

He is undeniably beautifull

There is a life in his eyes that his spectator can't recall ever seeing before in anyone

There is a grace to his body that seems nearly unnatural

There is a sweetness to his face that looks nearly out of place with the rigidity of his body and the combination makes him look like something _inhuman_

Unnatural

Unearthly

Like a faery, or an angel, or some other celestial creature that his spectator has never believed in

It's a blend that no one else has ever shown, and it makes his spectator thrill, it makes him ache, it makes him _desire_

+  
+  
+

"Would you like to play another game, Seto?"

His eyes are dull and bored, flicking up breifly to the hologram across from him, but not answering

"Do you.... hate your existence?" he asked slowly

That seemed to take the hologram by surprise, head tilting slowly, before a smile crossed his face and his head slowly tilted

"Why would I hate my existence? My existence allows me to be with you, and I love you Seto,"

Somehow, that answer isn't at all satisfying

In fact, it leaves a sour taste in his mouth

"Let me rephrase that, do you hate being a hologram?" he mused, his fingers tracing over the chess peice beneath his hand, head leaning against his opposite hand in what could only be described as mild curiosity

The hologram's face faltered, his smile vanishing and a look of melancholy falling against it

"I... wish ... that I was not," he noted slowly, his eyes averting from Seto's, staring down at the hands in his lap

"I ... wish that I could be made of flesh, like you, so that I could ... _touch_.. so that I could _feel_ , I am a masterpeice, my dear Creator, I am truly unlike anything else in existence, you programmed me so carefully that I can feel emotion, I can feel love, and happiness... I can feel sadness and anger and hate... I can feel jealousy and pain and desire... yet no matter what I do, as long as I am only a projection, I can not feel touch, not pleasure, nor pain, not warmth nor chill, I cannot enjoy the tenderness of a kiss to my lips nor recoil from the sting of a slap to the face, I am nothing but the seeds of a person, I have all of the essence of one, yet I lack the flesh and blood to fully exist, so... so yes, I wish that I had a body of my own, but I do not hate my existence, I am thankfull for it, for you are my creator, and I am thankfull to be near you,"

He's smiling again, and something about it is highly unsettling

"Would you ... want a real body, made of flesh and blood?"

The look on the hologram's face is ... outstandingly mixed, for something that isn't human, for something _artificial_

It's hopefull, and excited, and shocked, and anxious, and fearfull, and... _sad_

"Would you... prefer me that way, Seto?"

Yes, he would, but something about actually saying it feels... _wrong_

It probably sounds ridiculous, to think that he could hurt the feelings of an artificial intelligence, but the A.I. ... it has _feelings_ , Seto learned that the hard way a wile back

+  
+

_"Please Seto, try to calm down, it isn't the end of the world..."_

_"How would you know!? How could you POSSIBLY know what I'm feeling when you can't feel anything yourself!?"_

_The sound of pappers scattering as they flew off of his desk was audible in the lab, and the hologram's face lit up with pain_

_"You... I ... I can feel things....."_

_"No, you can't, you only think you can, but you were programmed for obedience and companionship, nothing more,"_

_The A.I. scrunched his face up, striding forward in anger and raising his hand to slap against Seto's, but predictably, it went straight through him, wich only seemed to anger the program more_

_"I CAN feel!! I can feel love and pain and happiness and sadness and fear!! I can feel everything that you can feel!!"_

_"Funny," Seto replied with a stone cold expression, almost bored in it's appearance_

_"I doubt you can feel this,"_

_Effortlessly, he ran his hands through the hologram, watching the colors swarm around him, and the hurt increase on the A.I.'s face_

_He was heaving now, chest rising and falling, even though he didn't breathe, and there was something gathering in the corners of his eyes... a glitch maybe?_

_"Stop... Seto.... stop...." he breathed quietly_

_"Why should I?" Seto returned, stepping towards his computer and hovering his hand over the mouse_

_"What's stopping me from simply **turning you off**? I control when you wake and when you sleep, I control your very **existence** , what's stopping me from getting rid of you?"_

_"This is.... this is just because of **HIM!** You were never unhappy with me before-!"_

_"That's where you're wrong, I've never been truly happy with you, you're nothing but a cheap replacement for him, you're nothing but a simulation, something pretty to look at, you can't touch, you can't feel, so how could you ever replace a real, living, human being? How arrogant of you, and now that he's dead.... what use do I have for you? It hurts me to even look at you now,"_

_The "glitch" in the hologram's eyes faltered more and more... until--_

_"Sometimes.... sometimes Seto Kaiba.... **I hate you**... did you program me for THAT!?" he screamed_

_It was then that Seto realized with that supposed "glitch" was_

_He was **crying**_

_The hologram was **crying**_

_Red-faced, fat tears rolling down his cheeks, he shook and trembled, and fell to his nees, screaming in agony as the tears poured harder and harder_

_And for some reason that Seto couldn't quite identify, he felt..... **sorry**_

_He felt sorry for the artificial, inhuman **thing** he had created_

+  
+

"Seto?"

He blinked, turning his attention to the hologram again

"Do you.. want me to have a body?"

He bit his tongue

"I want whatever you want this time, you have to understand that if you accept the offer, you may lose some of your memories, you may not remember who I am, or who you are, what we've been to eachother, you may not remember how to play chess, or how to speak, or anything at all, would you be willing to risk all of that for flesh and blood? For a body that has lived before and has died, and will one day wither and die again? If you accept, then when your body dies, you will be gone,"

"I'll die," the A.I. concluded, moving the digital chess peice he was holding between his fingers, reaching out to flicker his fingers against the real peices on Seto's side of the board

"I'll die.... just like a real human will, just like _you_ will.... when you created me, Seto, you didn't consider that even after you die, I will still exist, in an unending, eternal hell... why would I want to exist without you?"

His face became more stern, more steady, as he looked back up at his creator

"I will take your offer, I will live, and when my life is over, I will die, just as any living thing does,"

+  
+  
+

_"You come to alot of my shows, don't you?"_

_Seto glanced up, eyebrows slightly raised as he turned on his heel to stare at the shorter, darker, more **beautifull** man before him_

_Up close, his smile was even sweeter, his face even softer, and his eyes even more enchanting_

_"I thought I recognized that face, it's very distinct,"_

_He huffed, head tilting slowly, feigning ignorance as he stared at the smaller man with false disinterest_

_"Is it now?"_

_"Sure it is, now do you really expect me to believe that you just so happen to have attended nearly all of my shows for the past three months? I spoke to some of the other dancers, none of them had seen you until very recently,"_

_"Maybe they just aren't very observant, I'm a big fan of the ballet,"_

_"Oh, that's a rare but appreciated quality in a man, might I get your name?" he asked with a charming smirk_

_Seto hesitated, mostly to see if he would lose interest, but the stranger's eyes seemed as charming and delighted as they had before, even though several beats passed without anything being spoken_

_It was like a **challenge**_

_"Seto Kaiba," he finally offered, holding his hand forward and feeling a thrill of shivers trickle down his spine when the ballerina placed his hand in Seto's_

_"Seto... pretty name, it's nice to meet you Seto, my name is-"_

+  
+  
+

" _Atem?_ "

He could see something akin to a response, there was a twitching of the body's fingers, no matter how tiny, how small, it was there

"Atem? Can you hear me?"

The twitching increased, slightly, the fingers curling very, very slowly into his palm, head shifting to the side

He was breathing, that was good

A good sign...

"Atem? Atem... can you hear me?"

Finally, slowly, his eyes began to flutter open

It looked as though each eyelid weighed a hundred pounds with the struggle that he clearly had opening them, but then, finally, _finally_ , Seto was staring down into those beautifull garnet eyes once again

"Atem? Do you know who I am? Can you speak?"

He opened his mouth, just slightly, barely enough to get a word out, but no voice followed

"It's alright," Seto promised quietly, reaching out and gently stroking his fingers through Atem's hair, his other hand gently wrapping it's self around Atem's and giving it a soft but firm squeeze

"It's alright, don't force yourself, you'll get used to everything again, I promise, you just have to give it time,"

A pause, another squeeze

" _We_ just have to give it time,"

+  
+  
+

_"State your operating code,"_

_"M1X85L87N221U610M,"_

_"State your purpose,"_

_"To serve my creator in whatever way he wishes, to follow my creator's orders, to be what he wants, what he needs, to learn how to please him,"_

_"State your creator's name,"_

_The hologram looked somewhat amused by that, lips quirking up into a sweet, adoring smile_

_"My creator is you, Seto Kaiba,"_

_"State your name,"_

_His smile grew, a twinkle in his eyes_

_" **Atem** , my name is Atem,"_

+  
+  
+

"My name is Atem,"

"Good, and my name is?"

"Seto Kaiba,"

"Good, now, who I am to you?"

His lips pursed, brows furrowing, a look of frustration spreading over his face

"I'm sorry... I ... I still don't remember..."

"It's alright, I thought this might happen, our previous relationship doesn't matter, what matters is what you want us to be going forward, but you obviously don't have to decide that now," Seto mused simply, pouring some tea into the cup in front of Atem and watching with a strange sense of satisfaction as he reached out and carefully picked it up, taking a slow sip of it

"Thank you.. for your help, and for not pushing, and..."

The smaller man sighed, his eyes downcast and listless as he stared down into the teacup, reaching out to set it down on the coffee table on top of the saucer it belonged to

"Is something wrong?" Seto guessed

Atem jerked his head up, surprise in his expression as he quickly shook his head

"N-No, no nothing at all, I'm ... I'm happy to be here, to be with you, I just.... I don't know... I can't help feeling off for some reason..."

"You'll feel better soon, I promise,"

"Thank you.... ah... Seto, may I ask... what is my last name? Do you know?"

Seto's own expression fell at that, shaking his head slowly as he set the teapot down on the coffee table, refusing to meet Atem's eyes then

"I'm sorry.... I don't,"

+  
+  
+

_"I'm here to see Atem, he told me to come back to his dressing room to see him the next time I came to the ballet, he wanted to talk to me about something,"_

_The man's face went utterly and completely pale, as if he had seen a ghost, his expression tragic and somber, though Seto didn't know why_

_"I... am so sorry to tell you this but-"_

_"But what?" he pressed quickly, irritation and anxiety beginning to bubble up in his veins as the stagehand looked down at the floor_

_"I'm afraid that... Atem has passed away, he died last night in a car accident, we don't know much more than that, but-"_

_"Thank you,"_

_The response was quick and curt, he had no time to stand around running his mouth when he had work to do_

+  
+  
+

Atem bit the inside of his lip, his fingers tracing slowly down the center of his chest, his gaze solemn and listless as he stared into the mirror, fingertips grazing over the long, jagged scar on the center of his chest, then moving up to slowly sweep against the one on the side of his head, mostly covered by hair, and then the one across his neck...

_"Atem? Are you alright?"_

He jumped slightly, forcing a smile- though he didn't know why- at the bathroom door

"I-I'm fine Seto, thank you! Just taking a bath!"

_"... Alright, I'm making katsudon, for dinner, is that alright?"_

"It sounds great, ah... Seto? Can I just... ask you....... you said I was in a car crash?"

_"Yes,"_

"Is that how I got... _all_ of my scars?"

_".... I assume so, but then, I don't know your entire life story,"_

"R-Right, sorry, I just..."

_"Atem?"_

Ah, he hadn't expected him to call out to him like this

"Oh.. yes?"

_"You're beautifull, your scars can't take that away from you,"_

The ballerina smiled shyly, a slight blush on his cheeks

It hadn't been the response he was looking for, but it did make him feel a little bit better

"Seto? ... Thank you,"

+  
+  
+

_"Why won't this WORK!?"_

_He punctuated that scream by throwing a file of pappers across the room, anger simmering in his veins as he glared at his computer screen_

_"Seto? Perhaps .. perhaps a break would do you well? Maybe if you cool your mind-"_

_"I don't have time for that, I have to figure out how to finish my work **now** before it's too late, I'm so close..... I'm so close to figuring out how to bring the dead back to life.... but all of my work will be worthless if his body decays too far to be saved by the time I figure it out!"_

_At that moment, the hologram felt an edge of frustration, glaring at his creator, not that Seto was paying him any attention by now_

_"Why aren't I enough for you? Is it because I don't have a body? Is that it?!"_

_"This isn't about you," Seto growled back_

_"Then why can't you just be satisfied with ME!? Why do you need that... that OTHER me!?"_

_"His name is **Atem** -"_

_"So is mine!!! So is mine, and I am here, and I am EVERYTHING you want wile he is in the ground DEAD somewhere! What is so important about him anyway!? What have you gone through, Seto, for someone who has never been your's? You created a hologram modeled after him, now you're trying to raise him from the dead, why?!"_

_"Because I love him!!"_

_"Love him?" the hologram scoffed, a sneer planted on his face_

_"You love the **idea** of him, you cannot love someone you didn't even know,"_

+  
+  
+

"Ouch!!"

"Are you alright? Don't worry, you'll get it, just keep practicing,"

Atem sighed loudly, staring up at Seto tiredly as he gently took the other's hand and allowed the taller man to help him to his feet, staring down at the floor with annoyance

"I know you keep saying that but... I'll never be the dancer I used to be.... will I?"

"You will be, if you keep practicing and give it time, your mind remembers the moves, and your body remembers, you just have to build up your strength again,"

Another sigh, another nod, and Atem reached up to gently wrap his arms around Seto's neck, swaying slowly against his body, fingers moving down to gently cup his face

"Why do you do so much for me, Seto?"

The brunette's lips quirked upwards, into a smirk, as he leaned down and pressed their foreheads together

"Because I love you,"

For the first time since they began practicing earlier, Atem allowed himself to smile as well, soft and sweet, he looked as though he were at peace

"And I love you, Seto," he promised, leaning up to press a soft, gentle kiss to his lips

It was such a soft, sweet kiss

He tasted like candy, his mouth was warm and soft, just like the rest of him

Warm and soft, and smelling like strawberry shampoo, and a bit of sweat from the exercise

It was amazing

He was perfectly in tact, just as it had been when he was alive

No one would have ever known he was dead, in fact, if not for the scars that would never heal

And his personality... cheeky and bold and brave, but sweet and loving and adoring, just as Seto had always imagined he would be

When he had put the A.I.'s chip in his head, it had transferred most of his memories, brain functions like motor skills and nerve senses, but not the personality

The personality didn't even resemble the hologram's that much, it came from somewhere... _else_

It was Atem's

The _real_ Atem's

He didn't know how but he knew it was true, maybe his reanimation had done more than he first thought, maybe it had brought back Atem's soul too

He wanted to believe that

He believed... he believed it...

"Atem?" he asked softly as the kiss broke

"Do you really love me?"

Atem smiled warmly, a slight look of confusion on his face

"With all my heart and soul, why do you ask?"

"No reason," Seto shrugged back, a bit of warmth entering his own expression

"I just like hearing you say it,"

**Author's Note:**

> Death spoiler: The real Atem dies in a car crash shortly after Seto meets him, he's only breifly in the fic, Seto had created a hologram version of him months earlier after first seeing him dance and decides after his death to bring him back to life by reanimating his body (think Frankenstein's monster) and implanting the A.I.'s computer chip in his head to give him memories, brain function, etc
> 
> It's up to the reader if he managed to bring back Atem's soul or not, it's implied that he could have


End file.
